The crow that flicked the fish

One was on his way to earn his bread. The other was waiting for a prey. Any prey. The latter found his victim – the former! It wasn’t soon before this guy came swooping down, and before you could say ‘crow’, he was off – with his morning breakfast. A nice and delicious fish! Not a bad deal. Not at all, considering he didn’t have to pay for it. The fish-seller went on, clueless, with his basket of fishes.

A scene which perhaps only I saw in a crowded VT station on a typical Monday morning. I just witnessed a blink-and-you-miss moment for the day. Just couldn’t help wonder how that crow managed to do it so easily without even the fish-seller realizing that his basket will have one fish less. And more intriguing was – most passengers at the packed station missed that moment.

Let’s look at the four characters in the scene, along with their parallels in our spiritual life:

Fish-Seller (Leader): GOD has kept the leaders in charge of their sheep. It is not a position, it is a responsibility. Once you are being told to shepherd a flock, no matter how big or small its size, they are your responsibility. The fish-seller in this scene had absolutely no idea about the missing fish. He may never realise it. Ever. Leaders – never lose track of the sheep you’re taking care of. This includes all kinds of leaders, and is not limited to Pastors/Church leaders. Sunday School teachers, worship leaders, youth leaders, prayer group leaders, etc. Spend some time praying, at least once a week, for those who are groomed under you. Don’t ignore the least among them – lest they be found dead and the enemy finds it easy to snatch them away.

For lessons in Christian leadership, read the book of Titus.

Dead fish (A ‘dead’ believer): How often are we satisfied hanging out with a bunch of other fishes, which too, by the way, could be dead. The real place for a fish is in the water. Once it’s out of the water, it is meant to be consumed. The believer’s story isn’t too different. We, quite often take refuge in the world outside, which is dead spiritually. Remember, once we are out of the control of the HOLY SPIRIT, we are dead! That is exactly the opportunity that the devil is waiting for. Let it be known that the best path to take is the one when you are being led by the flow of the SPIRIT! Had the fish been in the water, the crow wouldn’t have dared to come near. Remain soaked in JESUS, go with the flow of the HOLY SPIRIT, and the devil won’t dare to come near.

Read James 5: 19,20; Romans 8:1,2

Crow (Enemy): He is a thief. He comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. (John 10:10). Notice how the crow was waiting for the right opportunity when the fish seller wasn’t paying attention? Also note how he didn’t make any fuss. He didn’t disturb the basket. And it was just one fish! That’s it. He wasn’t looking to flick one more to store for his lunch. There was no noise, but just a quick lightning-like flick that left the fisherman ignorant about the missing fish.

The enemy is quite similar. It is when the believer is dead in sin with the other dead fishes that the enemy tries to steal him. The other dead fishes won’t matter to him as much as you – a child of GOD, because the others are already in his reach! The dirty d is looking for that ‘one you’ – who could come back to life soon by the life-giving WORD of the Living GOD. Stay on guard. Stay Alive.

Me (Inactive observer): Don’t ignore the fourth character in this story- me (or those who watched the ‘robbery’). I decided to keep quiet and move on with my routine. The fish-seller remained ignorant about his missing fish, thanks to me, although in this case, the former couldn’t have done much about it. Quite often, we are much like ‘me’ in this scene. We see that a co-brother is backsliding. We see the obvious signs of a slow but sure spiritual death in a person. But we tend to ignore the need of that brother. We go around with our ‘business-as-usual’ attitude thinking “that’s his business” or worse still, “That’s the pastor’s/leader’s responsibility to correct him!”

Just remember, if we see a brother in need, and refuse to help him, we are refusing to help JESUS! (Matthew 25:45) Encourage him, pray with and for him. Also guide him to take the help of the leader whom he is under. Don’t be an inactive observer and move on as if it’s not your business. It IS your business. He is your family! Would you refuse to help JESUS?

So, if you are a Fish-seller, be awake to the needs of your fish.

If you are the fish on the way to jump out of the water, remember, the crow is waiting. Remain soaked in JESUS.

If you are ‘Me’, time to throw the ‘Me’ out of you and inject the ‘We’ in! Don’t be a quiet observer to just see the dead fish being stolen by the enemy! Snatch him from the enemy before it’s too late!

If you were blessed by this post, or have any further thoughts, please feel free to comment below. GOD bless you!